Destinations

DEAM LAKE SRA

Playing and relaxing in Knobstone country

Story & photos by John Maxwell, OI staff

Deam Lake lies nearly hidden among the forested hills of Clark County, near the edge of Indiana’s Knobstone Escarpment, a rugged geologic region of mini-mountains.

The 194-acre lake and 1,300-acre state recreation area, which is managed by the DNR Division of Forestry, are named after Charles C. Deam, Indiana’s first state forester and author of “Trees of Indiana”, which is one of the bestknown studies of its kind.

“Our 19 Rent-a-Camp cabins are really catching on,” said Deam Lake assistant property manager Patrick Cleary, “and last summer was our first year to rent kayaks along with the usual rowboats. The kayaks have turned out to be pretty popular.”

Daniel Fessel from Floyd County and Anthony Sutton from northern Indiana like to kayak on the lake once or twice a week, depending on work and weather.

“The lake is quiet and has easy access,” Fessel said.

“We love the little cabins,” said camper Holly Lindeman from Oldham County, Kentucky. “We don’t have to bring a bunch of camping equipment, and they have electric heat and air conditioning.”

Her family likes to fish, hike with their dogs, and relax while at Deam Lake.

“We’ve stayed in these cabins more times than I can count, bringing the kids here since they were toddlers, and now they are teenagers,” Lindeman said. “I like the feeling of being in the middle of nowhere.”

The camping cabins are small two-room buildings with a porch, electricity, one twin bed frame, a set of bunk beds and a loft that can sleep two kids. As when tent camping, there are no indoor kitchen facilities, and guests use campground comfort stations and need to bring their own bedding.

Deam Lake’s horsemen’s campground is unique—the equine camp is the only Indiana DNR campground with horse stables

Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum

Milton Street

Rolls-Royce Corperation 160

Clark State Forest

New Pekin 60 Deam Lake

Borden 356

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(Opposite page) The Chikadee Rent-A-Camp cabin at Deam Lake is one of 19 mini-cabins at the state-forest recreation area in southern Indiana, roughly between Salem and Louisville. Each cabin is named after a different bird. (Above left, then right) Wooded steep hills and picnic shelters surround the swimming beach. A fisherman readies a rowboat during daybreak at Deam’s boat rental. The lake’s quiet waters are reserved for electric-motor or human-powered watercraft. The swimming beach and bathhouse are traditionally open Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends.

and stalls available for rent. And the 108 class-A campsites in the horsemen’s campground are connected to 70 miles of horse trails in adjacent 24,675-acre Clark State Forest.

Horses in the campground or on state trails are required to have a daily or annual DNR Horse Tag.

During recreational seasons, Deam visitors can enjoy picnic areas, two campgrounds, rental rowboats or kayaks, and the Forest Education Center. Many of the campsites are along or near the lake.

The swimming beach with a wheelchair ramp and bathhouse are traditionally open from Memorial Day through Labor Day weekends.

The hiking trails, mountain bike trail, and boat ramp are open all year. The lake’s quiet waters are limited to arm, leg or electric-motor-powered watercraft. Funds from the DNR lake permits that are required on boats using the lake are used for future upgrades.

Anglers commonly catch largemouth bass, redear sunfish, crappie, channel catfish and bluegill from Deam’s clear water. Hiking trails range in length from the easy, half-mile Trail 1, to the 60-mile Knobstone Trail, Indiana’s longest backcountry hiking trail.

Campsite and Rent-a-Cabin reservations can be made at camp.IN.gov, or by calling 1-866-6CAMPIN. More state forest and Deam Lake SRA information is at dnr.IN.gov/forestry.

GETTING THERE:

Deam Lake SRA is at 1217 Deam Lake Road in southeast Indiana, roughly between Salem and Louisville. There are multiple routes leading to Deam Lake, but most travelers access the lake via Interstate 65. Take Exit 7 onto State Road 60 and drive west about 9 miles toward Borden. Look for Deam Lake SRA signs along the right side of the road. U